: : Lunacy. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity speaks one single sentence.
That is the end.
Pukwak!
Oh Hyun-seok dies.
: : Lunacy. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity speaks one single sentence.
That is the end.
Pukwak!
Oh Hyun-seok cannot withstand his single strike and dies.
: : Lu... : :
And only then in the third repetition does the Great Mountain Supreme Deity finally sense the déjà vu.
: : ...I see. So that is your authority. : :
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity realizes Oh Hyun-seok's authority.
: : A power that breaks the boundary between dream and reality, is it? Well, those who possess the Absolute of Pleasure have always used powers that collapse boundaries. : :
Pleasure is the breaking down of boundaries and the mixing together.
Therefore, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity realizes that he is trapped in a dream interwoven with reality by Oh Hyun-seok's authority.
And the Great Mountain Supreme Deity knows all too well what to do when caught in a dream like this.
He has battled and devoured True Immortals who reached the pinnacle of illusion and dream arts thousands and tens of thousands of times—this much is but a minor trial for him.
: : Even if everything is a dream...pain alone is reality. : :
Kurung, kururururung!
[Kuaaaaaaaagh!]
[Aaaaaaagh!]
[Uaaaaaaaagh!!]
[Kkiiiiaaaaagh!!!]
From the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, red blood like a volcanic eruption begins to surge violently.
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity is torturing the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea and synchronizes that pain with himself.
: : Pain alone surpasses all and exists. Pain alone is not a dream...! : :
Kugugugugugu!
The God of Great Mountain pushes himself into agony and begins to separate reality and illusion once again,
Resisting the authority of the Absolute, he starts tracking Oh Hyun-seok's location.
: : Where did you run off to, you bug? : :
Calling an Ender who has reached the Heavenly Venerable rank a bug, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity senses the sea of chaos.
Yet, he cannot find the existence called Oh Hyun-seok anywhere.
Tsuuaaaaa!
As Oh Hyun-seok temporarily rises to Heavenly King, he becomes aware of his authority.
Authority: Primal Chaos World (鴻濛世界).
Manifesting the very first chaos where everything was vague through his own body.
He becomes the Primordial Chaos.
And as he transforms into that very Primordial Chaos, he understands.
'Perhaps dream and reality were never different to begin with.'
This world is someone's mental world.
No, perhaps all worlds including Earth are merely the mental world of certain beings.
'The Creator God...'
Oh Hyun-seok recalls that vast space of nothingness he encountered when he met Silver Basket, and remembers that existence with a divine rank of Creation.
A being omnipotent in both dream and reality, having no distinction between the two.
That is the feeling Oh Hyun-seok got from the Silver Basket.
At the same time, he realizes something.
'Is the soul (魂)...born from the union of Qi, Soul, and Fate?'
Only when the Absolute of Fate, the Absolute of History, and the fragments of the third Absolute faintly come together can a soul (魂) be birthed.
Among them, the power of the Third Absolute holds the most weight, but what defines the soul is not merely that Third Absolute alone. Fate and History are also necessary.
'Then...if the Absolute of Fate, the Absolute of History, and the third Absolute were to merge completely...'
It would be possible for [someone]'s soul to be born.
And Oh Hyun-seok is certain.
'Right now...I am the closest possible state to [someone]'s soul.'
He has become the true Primordial Chaos itself that breaks the boundary between dream and reality.
'I understand now why Silver Basket took my Absolute and entered Mount Sumeru. This Absolute fragment is the piece closest to the Creator God...!'
Kururururung!
Oh Hyun-seok becomes Primal Chaos (鴻濛) itself and assimilates with the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
As he briefly drags the Great Mountain Supreme Deity's consciousness into Primal Chaos, he swiftly enters into the depths of his being.
'Wait for me...child.'
He quickly heads toward the world of one of the Immortal Arts nestled within the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
The name of that world is Penglai Island.
Tsuaaaaatt!
Instantly arriving at Penglai Island, Oh Hyun-seok closes his eyes.
'Where are you?'
His consciousness spreads across the entirety of Penglai Island, sweeping over every living being within it.
But Oh Hyun-seok cannot find his daughter inside Penglai Island.
'She's not in Penglai Island!? What in the...wait.'
He realizes something.
'There!'
By using History Induction, he reads his daughter's history and locates her, and soon, he finds where she has gone.
It is somewhere deep within the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
'I see. So Penglai Island originally...exists to temporarily reincarnate the worn-down spirits of those who have become the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea to prevent their collapsing and to help them recover.'
And once a spirit that lived life within Penglai Island recovers, it is reassigned back into the depths of the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
Now aware of the cruel truth of Penglai Island, Oh Hyun-seok opens his eyes wide.
'Within that Corpse Mountain Blood Sea my child. How painful it must have been for you.'
He reads it.
Through History Induction, his daughter's history becomes visible to him.
Having found her location, Oh Hyun-seok takes his stance right then and there.
Flap, flap, flap!
Ten pairs of purple wings that have sprouted from his back flutter strongly, focusing all his energy into his fist.
But Oh Hyun-seok's eyes gleam.
'Not enough.'
It's not enough.
More.
To rescue his daughter, he must squeeze out even more.
The Great Mountain Supreme Deity is already regaining his senses within the Primal Chaos World and beginning to search for him.
'There's only one chance.'
A slow method like finding his daughter, waking her up inside the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea, sharing a tearful reunion, preparing to escape, and then escaping, will not work.
What is needed now is not a tearful reunion, but swift and decisive action.
Flash!
[Kuaaaaaaaagh!]
[Aaaaaaaaagh!!]
The Corpse Mountain Blood Sea howls as it sheds blood-red tears like lava.
Immediately after, the consciousness of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity awakens and scatters across the entire Outer Sea to detect Oh Hyun-seok.
Perhaps because he has not fully awakened from the Primal Chaos, he fails to recognize Oh Hyun-seok who resides within him, but that too is only a matter of time.
'Twelve seconds. If I don't finish this within that time, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity will detect me!'
Bududuk...
Oh Hyun-seok feels rage.
He rages at the fact that he must pour all his focus into fleeing, without even taking proper revenge on the Devil God who tortured his daughter.
'But for now, let's think of only this.'
Eleven seconds.
Oh Hyun-seok pours his entire mind into his fist.
Kururururung!
The power of Primal Chaos gathers entirely into his body, and with the power of the ten pairs of wings, the form of a purple dragon wraps around his right arm.
'Not enough.'
Originally, Azure Wing Heavenly Shatter is meant to be unleashed with both fists in succession.
But Oh Hyun-seok condenses the full potential of both fists into only his right hand.
Ten seconds.
'More.'
Wuduk, wudududuk!
Oh Hyun-seok's right arm begins to fracture under the excessive compression of power.
The body he reconstructed with every method he had ever learned begins to crack instantly.
'More!'
But Oh Hyun-seok pays no mind and draws forth even more power.
Being inside the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, Oh Hyun-seok can feel the Supreme Deity's power the most vividly.
Something like this is not enough.
He must squeeze out more.
'More!!!'
Chwaaak!
Another pair of wings bursts forth from Oh Hyun-seok's back.
In addition to ten wings, an eleventh pair forms.
'More!!!'
Oh Hyun-seok begins to burn his life.
His life force, which has reached the level of a Heaven-Earth Great Net Immortal, the power of fate and history, the strength of his Immortal Dao and Origin Essence—all of it ignites and condenses into his right arm.
Another pair of wings bursts from his back.
Twelve wings!
'Please, O Gods. O Lord of Heaven, Buddha, the One God, the Underworld, Heavenly Venerables, Seo Eun-hyun! Please grant me strength! Just once! A tremendous strength!'
Tudududududu!
Oh Hyun-seok's hair begins to turn white as he burns through his very life as an Undying.
His hair now looks like the ashes left behind after something has burned away.
—Astounding. Though it is only one fist...a [sprout]...
And as he hears the awed voice of Silver Basket in his ear, Oh Hyun-seok throws a single punch with all his might and prays.
'Please give me! The strength to save my family!'
Flash!
Oh Hyun-seok's now-ashen hair begins to shimmer faintly and starts to even emit a silver-like glow.
The area around Oh Hyun-seok, which had been shrouded in purple, now becomes enveloped in silver.
One punch!
With just one punch, the world around Oh Hyun-seok becomes dyed in ashen light.
All the colors of this world vanish, leaving behind only silver like ashes.
And within that colorless, silver world, Oh Hyun-seok sees a path pierced open before his eyes.
One second remains until the Great Mountain Supreme Deity awakens.
'Can I make it in one second?'
Oh Hyun-seok ponders for a fleeting moment.
But then he shakes off the thought.
'I'm going!'
Whether he can or not—he will make it happen!
Oh Hyun-seok stomps his foot.
And it is at that moment.
Tsuaat!
A sword overlays Oh Hyun-seok's body.
It is a sword bearing the form of impermanence, a colorless sword.
With a tingling feeling rising from his chest, Oh Hyun-seok senses a paper flower blooming from his heart. With the sword of Impermanence that surpasses the Heavenly Principle, he flies through the gaping path at the speed of Araya, embracing the spirit at the end of that path as he continues traversing through the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea.
And at last!
In the world where all color has vanished, Oh Hyun-seok hugs a spirit groaning in the echoes of pain, recalling a promise from long ago.
[Ten nights... Did you wait well?]
Oh Hyun-seok's child, whom he gained from Penglai Island, answers with a faint smile.
[I stayed awake...every night for ten nights, Dad...]
With those words, the silver world scatters. The paper flower in Oh Hyun-seok's chest that had lent him the strength of the Impermanence Sword loses its power, and his right arm shatters into pieces.
And then, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am regains his senses.
: : Phenomena... : :
Kugugugung!
A colossal mountain divine spirit of darkness stretches out a black hand formed of corpse-mountains.
From within his grasp, a jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements takes shape, and an overwhelming attraction force begins to pull Oh Hyun-seok in.
Oh Hyun-seok smiles while holding the spirit in his arms.
[Don't worry, my child.]
Though the situation is dire, he shines his eyes once more, desperately comforting his child.
[No matter what I have to do, I will save you.]
He will no longer evade.
He will no longer flee.
For he has faced his own shame.
'No matter what I must do, I will save you!'
Oh Hyun-seok once again stakes his life and existence.
If he draws out power again, it may certainly kill him.
But he does not care.
'I won't die. No matter what it takes, I will return.'
Truly, no matter what he must do, he will return.
Because to protect what is precious, no matter the injustice, no matter the impossibility—
That is what it means to be a father.
: : ...Extinguishing... : :
To fight against the impossible—this is a father's privilege!
Flap, flap, flap!
Wings burst forth again from Oh Hyun-seok's back.
Thirteen pairs of wings.
And it is at that moment,
Chwaaahhh!
: : ...Man— : :
A clear energy gushes forth from the chest of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
It is a blue energy.
The blue light draws a circle around the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, beginning to form a kind of formation.
The light clusters at the outer edge of the blue energy form white clouds, and at the center of the energy, the Great Mountain Supreme Deity Gwak Am becomes trapped in the midst of a bright and clear sky.
'Azure Scenery Heavenly Net...?'
Oh Hyun-seok flinches as he feels the wave emanating from the energy.
The domain of the Azure Scenery Heavenly Net that had confined Oh Hyun-seok not long ago begins to bloom from within the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, trapping the Supreme Deity instead.
And from within that blue sky, a familiar will resounds.
: : Go, child who carries on our Buddha-Nature. : :
It is the will of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape Cheong Min.
: : My Buddha-Nature has been passed on to you. Thus, what remains of me no longer has a reason to struggle pathetically to avoid being absorbed by the Corpse Mountain Blood Sea. So, child. One day, pass on that Buddha-Nature and remind Ra Cheon of what he has forgotten. : :
Hwaaaaagh!
The domain of the Azure Scenery Heavenly Net begins to temporarily seal the cultivation of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
: : O Cheong Min, my disgrace. Do you sacrifice yourself to save a bug? : :
: : Sacrifice is what Master emphasized. Is there a reason to mock it, my self? : :
: : He emphasized sacrifice and ended up sacrificing himself, believing his will would be inherited... : :
The will of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape desperately suppresses the will of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Kugugugung!
Centered on the domain of the Azure Scenery Heavenly Net, another ring of light begins to circle.
It is the halo of the Five Elements.
A massive flash of the Five Elements becomes the Five Elements Mountain that presses down on the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, sealing him.
At the same time, Oh Hyun-seok is pushed away by the repulsive force emitted by the ring of light and is flung beyond the Outer Sea.
Within that repelling force, he flies toward Mount Sumeru, gazing at the will of Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape standing against the Great Mountain Supreme Deity.
Mountain-Destroying Demon Ape's will smiles brightly, as if feeling lighter than ever before.
—Go, child. A father is strong.
Thus, within the connection he has formed, Oh Hyun-seok finds an escape and returns to Mount Sumeru.